Thill-coupling.



No. 856,233. PATENTED JUNBll, 1907. R. ECOLES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2. 19 07.

Witwe/:mea I wvl/bo@ RICHARD ECOLES, OF AUBURN, NEW'YORK.

THlLL-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1907'.

Application filed January 2,1907. Serial No. 350.341`

To all whom it 11i/ay concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD EccLns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Auburn, county of Cayuga, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Thill-Oouplings, of which the following is a s ecification.

My invention re ates to that class of coupling which has a divided draft-eye with a recess in the divided portions into which fits a spherical wrist or knuckle secured on the thill or pole iron, although in some cases these arrangements are reversed and the knuckle is put on the draft-eye. In this class of coupling it is desirable to use a washer or packing between the knuckle and the drafteye to prevent rattling. In some cases it has been proposed to form these washers into spherical shape before placing them over the knuckle. In some instances an ordinary flat piece of leather has been used. These washers are either removed with the thill iron or left in the jaws of the draft-eye when the thill iron is removed. In either case, it frequently happens that the washer becomes mislaid or lost and a new washer has to be provided, or the thill iron used without a washer, which causes the rattling and disagreeable noise. To hold these washers in place it has been proposed to fasten them on the knuckles by wiring or otherwise, but this has been found to be unsatisfactory, as the wire breaks or springs out of place, whereupon the washer falls off the thill iron or is left loose in the recess, and in either case it is often lost.

One of the objects of my inventionis to permanently secure a one-piece washer made out of a flat piece of leather in the recess of the draft-eye so that the washer will not be removed'from the recess when the thill coupling` is removed or shifted.

Other objects will appear from the hereinafter description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which the same reference character indicates the same part in the several views.

On this drawing, Figure l is a perspective view-of my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross section thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan view of 'one of the single piece flat washers.

The part marked A on the drawing represents the draft-eye which is secured ordinarily to the axle of the vehicle. This drafteye-consists of the lower fixed jaw A and the movable or hinged jaw A2. These jaws are provided with spherical recesses al, a2, respectively.

B is a bent tension spring secured to the fixed j aw, having a clamping lever C on-the free end thereof and a bail or loop D connected with the lever, the free end of which bail -fits over the lip of the movable jaw A2 4to hold said jaw closed.

E is a thill or pole iron provided with the spherical wrist or knuckle E.

F is a washer which consists of a iiat piece of leather having notches or recesses f at the middle of the sides thereof. This washeris so notched that when it is placed in the thill coupling around the spherical knuckle, it will readily conform to the shape of the knuckle and lie smoothly in place. To secure this washer in place I provide the lower drafteye with an opening a3. Through this opening I pass a pin G. The said pin also passes through the washer E and is clampedv or clenched, securely holding the washer in place. By this construction the washer is not removed from the draft-eye when the thill iron is removed, but is always in place for ready use. In securing this washer in place I preferably place one half of it in one of the recesses of the draft-eye, position the spherical knuckle and then clamp the movable jaw of the draft-eye over the washer, securely holding the washer in place in the spherical recess of the draft-eye and around the knuckle. I then drive a pin through the opening a3; this pin passing` through the Washer and striking the metal spherical knuckle turns back upon itself and is then clenched. When the washer is secured in the recess it is held in place and does not shift or fall out of the recess when the thill is removed.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

TOO

In a thill coupling, a draft-eye having a hand at Syracuse, county of Onondaga and spherical recess therein and an opening pass- State of New York, this 26th day of Deeem- 1o ing through one part of the draft-eye, a oneber, 1906.

ieee Washer in said recess, and a in passing 5 Ehrough said opening in the drapft-eye and RICHARD ECOLES' through the Washer to hold the Washer in In presence ofplaoe in the recess. JAMES B. CAHILL,

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my MAY KINYON. 

